Side 2

Photos

Johnny & The G-Rays - Every Twist Reminds

Every Twist Reminds

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Information/Write-up

A little lost nugget of punk, rockabilly, and new wave from Toronto circa 1980. Johnny and the G-Rays were the brainchild of Johnny MacLeod (lead vocals, main songwriter, and guitar), Harri Palm on lead guitar, Robert G. Macdonald on bass, and Bent Rasmussen on drums.

I'm a bit flustered as I can't find any real information about the band anywhere. Luckily, this LP (which I found in Tucson Arizona, if you can believe that) comes with a mini essay/bio about the band. Sadly, the band come off as a bit full of themselves in the "interview"...Johnny is "brooding and enigmatic" and speaks "wryly" about "attempting to coax unique tone possibilities from a two guitar, bass, and drums lineup." Ya. Ok.

Youthful egos aside, the songs are excellent. It's top-grade rock and roll, with a little bit of Iggy and the Stray Cats. The G-Rays do play an important role in the history of Candian punk rock. Johnny played in a country band called the Country Lads, while Harri and Bent were in the Eels (who would later evolve into the Diodes).

The album was produced by Stacy Heydon (Iggy/Bowie guitarist), and released on Basement Records out of Toronto.
-Kevin McGowan